"know what side of the bread is buttered" meaning in English

See know what side of the bread is buttered in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: knows what side of the bread is buttered [present, singular, third-person], knowing what side of the bread is buttered [participle, present], knew what side of the bread was buttered [past], knew what side of the bread is buttered [past], known what side of the bread was buttered [participle, past], known what side of the bread is buttered [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|know<,,knew,known> what side of the bread is<is,is,was:is> buttered}} know what side of the bread is buttered (third-person singular simple present knows what side of the bread is buttered, present participle knowing what side of the bread is buttered, simple past knew what side of the bread was buttered or knew what side of the bread is buttered, past participle known what side of the bread was buttered or known what side of the bread is buttered)
  1. Alternative form of know which side one's bread is buttered on. Tags: alt-of, alternative Alternative form of: know which side one's bread is buttered on
    Sense id: en-know_what_side_of_the_bread_is_buttered-en-verb-Z1w236-J Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries

Inflected forms

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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew what side of the bread was buttered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known what side of the bread was buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> what side of the bread is<is,is,was:is> buttered"
      },
      "expansion": "know what side of the bread is buttered (third-person singular simple present knows what side of the bread is buttered, present participle knowing what side of the bread is buttered, simple past knew what side of the bread was buttered or knew what side of the bread is buttered, past participle known what side of the bread was buttered or known what side of the bread is buttered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "know which side one's bread is buttered on"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              78,
              117
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1961 May 12, “Freeman’s Farm Program: A Socialist Strait Jacket”, in Frank C[leary] Hanighen, editor, Human Events, volume XVIII, number 19, Washington, D.C., →ISSN, →OCLC, section IV, page 300, column 1:",
          "text": "How many of these “officials” will plump for the New Frontier? Well, they all know what side of the bread is buttered and who butters it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1991 July, Sydney Omarr, “Sunday, August 23 (Moon in Gemini to Cancer 12:36 p.m.)”, in Sydney Omarr’s Day-by-Day Astrological Guide for Libra, September 23-October 22, 1992, New York, N.Y.: Signet, →ISBN, page 240:",
          "text": "Know what side of the bread is buttered and that you are doing the right thing even when you would rather just take it easy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              63,
              103
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Brenda Jackson, chapter 7, in Hidden Pleasures, New York, N.Y.: Kimani Press, →ISBN, page 96:",
          "text": "Although he claimed she was supposed to teach him manners, she knew what side of the bread was buttered. To get her mother’s house she had to be his lover for seven days.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know which side one's bread is buttered on."
      ],
      "id": "en-know_what_side_of_the_bread_is_buttered-en-verb-Z1w236-J",
      "links": [
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          "know which side one's bread is buttered on#English"
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      "tags": [
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    }
  ],
  "word": "know what side of the bread is buttered"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "knows what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knowing what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew what side of the bread was buttered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "knew what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known what side of the bread was buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "known what side of the bread is buttered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "know<,,knew,known> what side of the bread is<is,is,was:is> buttered"
      },
      "expansion": "know what side of the bread is buttered (third-person singular simple present knows what side of the bread is buttered, present participle knowing what side of the bread is buttered, simple past knew what side of the bread was buttered or knew what side of the bread is buttered, past participle known what side of the bread was buttered or known what side of the bread is buttered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "know which side one's bread is buttered on"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              78,
              117
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1961 May 12, “Freeman’s Farm Program: A Socialist Strait Jacket”, in Frank C[leary] Hanighen, editor, Human Events, volume XVIII, number 19, Washington, D.C., →ISSN, →OCLC, section IV, page 300, column 1:",
          "text": "How many of these “officials” will plump for the New Frontier? Well, they all know what side of the bread is buttered and who butters it.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1991 July, Sydney Omarr, “Sunday, August 23 (Moon in Gemini to Cancer 12:36 p.m.)”, in Sydney Omarr’s Day-by-Day Astrological Guide for Libra, September 23-October 22, 1992, New York, N.Y.: Signet, →ISBN, page 240:",
          "text": "Know what side of the bread is buttered and that you are doing the right thing even when you would rather just take it easy.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              63,
              103
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Brenda Jackson, chapter 7, in Hidden Pleasures, New York, N.Y.: Kimani Press, →ISBN, page 96:",
          "text": "Although he claimed she was supposed to teach him manners, she knew what side of the bread was buttered. To get her mother’s house she had to be his lover for seven days.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of know which side one's bread is buttered on."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "know which side one's bread is buttered on",
          "know which side one's bread is buttered on#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "know what side of the bread is buttered"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-08-07 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-08-02 using wiktextract (8b3c49c and 3c020d2). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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